Arch Coal wins national award for commitment to coal reclamation
A leading West Virginian coal miner has been recognised nationally for its commitment to coal reclamation.
Arch Coal, a leading US coal producer and marketer, has received two national coal mining reclamation awards from the US Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) Division, while another subsidiary of Arch was recognised among a consortium of organisations with the National Good Neighbour Award.
Coal-Mac’s Pine Creek 2 Surface Mine in Omar, W.Va., received a 2017 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award for the development and use of multiple techniques to control threats to water quality and to construct valley fills that promote vegetation and wildlife habitat.
“We take our responsibility to the land very seriously, and we are pleased that the OSMRE is recognizing Arch for our reclamation efforts,” said Paul A. Lang, Arch’s president and chief operating officer. “We incorporate reclamation into every stage of the mining process, each project beginning with a vision and plan for productive and natural post-mining land use. Our ultimate goal is to return the land to an attractive, useful and productive state for the surrounding communities and native plant life and wildlife. We thank the men and women of Coal-Mac and employees throughout the organization for their unwavering commitment to our environmental objectives.”
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The Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Awards are presented in partnership with the National Mining Association. This year’s awards were presented on Nov. 6 at a banquet in Washington, D. C. Winning projects go beyond reclamation requirements to achieve superior results in returning a site to productive use after completion of mining.
“OSMRE’s national award is among the highest honors a mining reclamation project can receive,” said Glenda H. Owens, OSMRE acting director.
Arch’s Thunder Basin subsidiary in Wyoming also was among those named in the OSMRE 2017 Good Neighbor Award, which was presented to the Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie Ecosystem Association. The association began in 1998 and is a collection of 24 livestock and agricultural producers in northeastern Wyoming, as well as four coal companies, including Arch Coal.
Good Neighbor Awards are given to mine operators for successfully working with the surrounding land owners and the community while completing mining and reclamation. The judges selected the Thunder Basin association for its innovative collaboration to maintain responsible economic use and stewardship of the land and mineral resources, which total more than 13 million acres.
